How The Hidden Happiness Mechanic Works In Harvest Moon 64

For over a decade post release, this mechanic was not known to exist, but it happens to be one of the most important mechanics in the game. Jack’s (your player’s default name) happiness is partially responsible for whether or not you get the Party Picture at the end of the game. You must have a happiness value of 250 or higher by the end Summer 1st Year 3 to potentially qualify for the picture. At the beginning of the game you start with zero happiness and your happiness maxes out at 255.

How It Works:

There are a multitude of things that can affect the happiness meter. Below are the most common things that effect it.

Using the restroom increases happiness once a day by 2 points.

Scaring the birds in front of your house or by your pond increases your happiness by 1 point per day.

Catching a fish increases your happiness by 1 point per fish caught.

Dropping anything edible will result in a decrease in 1 happiness point.

Scenes with villagers and your decisions made in those scenes result in happiness gains or decreases.

Animal deaths result in massive happiness decreases.

Winning some festivals increases happiness.

If you want a more detailed breakdown on everything that effects your happiness meter then make sure to check out my 336 page Harvest Moon 64 Player’s Guide that I wrote here: Harvest Moon 64 Player’s Guide

Also be sure to check out our YouTube channel for more retro game walkthroughs and to keep up to date on our Retro Revival Series here: Gerry’s Guides YouTube Channel